MLK said “rioting is the language of the unheard.” But yet MLK, himself, was never involved with or encouraged rioting. He preached nonviolence. And with it he helped tear down systems of inequality.

The rioters of his day helped tear down neighborhoods. For decades.

The right to vote didn’t happen because of riots. Neither did the desegregation of transportation, the desegregation of accommodations or the integration of schools.

When there was violence during the struggle for these, it came from white segregationists. Not the protesters.

The power of the nonviolent Civil Rights movement was in its peacefulness. Those in the movement maintained the moral high ground. Seeing a bunch of peaceful protesters insisting on being treated as human beings versus segregationists who acted like animals changed many minds.

The milestone wins in addressing the evils of systemic racism were generally achieved as the result of the nonviolent protests.

The riots generally resulted in destroyed neighborhoods. Businesses and tax revenue moving away permanently. Which only led to more inequality.

Study history. Which tactic was successful in order to change the conditions that were being protested in the first place?

Rioting may have allowed the unheard to express their frustration. But it didn’t change their circumstances for the better. It only made them worse.

King himself studied history. He studied the teachings and tactics of Mahatma Gandhi. The nonviolent guy who took down the British Empire. And King and other likeminded activists used that tactic to take down one hundred years of legalized segregation in America. It works.

On the other hand, look at the places where riots have occurred in the US years ago. A lot of those places are worse off than before the riots. Because people (and the taxes they pay) leave. And burned out businesses don’t rebuild. Even worse, the things they rioted about remain.